Waste pipe cleaner



March 19, 1935. I c. L. MCCLOSKEY 11,994,526

WASTE PIPE CLEANER Filed March 28, 19:54

I i I I I I I i I i i 1 l I I s-i E M w /2 E i i 5 i 9 9 2o 21 15 5 5 #Pi :I '1 22 n 7 i= i! :i i! s: so i! as E 5: a I n M 52.6 i' 5 It: 1: n

ATTORNEYS Cil Patented Mar. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASTEPIPE CLEANER,

Charles Leo McCloskey, Essex, Ontario, Canada, asslgnor of one-half toAlbert J. Ashton, Essex,

Ontario, Canada This invention relates particularly to means for forcingobstructions from waste or other pipes and to a portable device for thepurpose, especially adapted for house use.

An object of the present invention is to provide a convenientlyoperable, portable device for the purpose of embodying means forcreating and storing a supply of air under pressure, together with meansfor conveniently connecting said storage means with a waste or otherpipe, and means for controlling the discharge of such air underpressure.

A further object is to provide convenient means whereby a. head orcolumn of water may be created in the pipe to be cleaned, together witha suitable altitude gauge and check valve to indicate and maintain suchhead.

It is also an object to provide a storage tank for compressed air andembodying a hand operated air pump and a valvular or sealing member toseat within the open end of the obstructed pipe line, and including awater connection, whereby a portable device is provided adapted forconvenient manipulation, and to provide such device with means forcontrolling the discharge of compressed air from said storage tank, andin providing certain other new and useful features in the construction,arrangement and combination of elements, all as hereinafter set forthand more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a transversevertical section through a device illustrative ofan embodiment of thepresent invention; and

Fig. 2 is an illustration of an application of the device in use.

The device embodying the present invention, while it is applicable foruse in cleaning or forcing out any obstruction within any pipe line, yet

it is particularly adapted for use in forcing an.

obstruction from a waste pipe line leading from a sink, water closetbowl, or other device as commonly installed in buildings.

As illustrative of one use to which the present device may be applied,said device is shown in Figure 2 of the drawing as applied for forcingout an obstruction in the waste pipe 1 leading from a sink 2, with theusual branch pipe 3 and waste trap'4 connecting the waste pipe with anoutlet opening 5 in the bottom of the sink. As usually installed, thesink is provided with a splash board 6 through which water faucets '7extend, and following the usual practice, an overflow or vent pipe 8 isinstalled in the wall of the building and. conend of the piston rod 14extending through the head 10 and provided at its upper end with ahandle 15 by means of which the rod may be reciprocated to force airfrom the pump cylinder through a suitable valve 16 at its lower end,into the air tank 9.

An air outlet pipe 1'7 is preferably screwed into an opening in thelower head 11 of the air tank and the inwardly projecting end of thispipe forms a seat for an air valve 18 which is provided with a rod orstem 19 extending upwardly in the air tank and through the head 10thereof where it is provided with a head or handle 20. The head 10 isalso provided with an air pressure gauge 21 of any suitable. form toshow the air pressure -which has been pumped up within the tank 9.

The lower end of the air outlet pipe 17 is provided with a conical head22 which is preferably formed of rubber or other suitable flexiblematerial so that this conical head may be seated within. the opening 5in the bottom of the sink 2 and make a tight joint therewith. This head22 is preferably formed with an interior sleeve or bushing 23 which isscrewthreaded interiorly to receive the end of the pipe 17, thearrangement being such that this head may be screwed upon the pipe witheither its conical face positioned downwardly as shown, or may bereversed upon the ends of the pipe with its flat upper face downwardlyso that it may seat directly upon the end of a pipe which is to becleaned and make a tight joint therewith.

Leading laterally from the pipe 17 is a branch 24, said branch includinga coupling 25 for attaching an extension 26 for the branch thereto, andwithin this coupling 25 is positioned a check valve 2'? of any suitableform, the form shown being a ball valve member which is urged toward aseat inserted in the coupling by means of a suitable spring, thearrangement being such that fluid, such as water forced into theextension 26, will unseat the check valve and allow the water to pass,but upon pressure in the opposite direction, this check valve will closeand prevent the escape outwardly through the extension 26. The free endof this extension 26 may have applied thereto or connected therewith inany suitable manner, a hose 28, the opposite end of which may be screwedupon one or the water faucets 7 so that by opening this faucet, waterunder pressure will be forced past the check valve 27 and into the pipe17 and from this pipe through the trap 4 and into the waste pipe 1, theair valve 18 being at this time seated, to prevent this water pressurefrom passing into the air tank 9. By this means water is forced throughthe trap 4 to clean the trap and to fill up the waste pipe and also tobuild up a head of water within the vent pipe 8 so that when the airvalve 18 is unseated air under pressure from the tank9 will be appliedto the water filling the waste pipe, the head oi. water within the ventpipe, applying this force to the water in the waste pipe and thus to theobstruction indicated at 29 therein to force this obstruction out of thepipe.

To indicate when a suitable head or column of water has been providedwithin the vent pipe 8 through the hose connection 28 with the pipe 17,an altitude gauge 30 of any suitable construction may be mounted uponthe extension pipe 26 to indicate such head or column so that theoperator may know when sufiicient water under pressure has been admittedby means of the faucet 7 which may then be closed. The operator may thengrasp the head 20 of the valve stem 19 and raise the valve 18 from itsseat to permit air under heavy pressure to escape from the air tank 9into the pipe 1'7 and thus impart to the water filling the waste pipe, ahammer blow sufficient to dislodge the obstruction 29 in the pipe.

In cases where it is not desirable to use the water connection to thepipe 17, the extension 26 with its gauge 30 may be removed bydisconnecting the coupling 25 and substituting a cap for closing the endof the branch 24, and in that case air under pressure will alone beemployed to force the obstruction from the pipe which may be any pipe,as the head 22 will serve to seat upon and close the end of the pipe.

The arrangement of this device is such as to make it portable andmanipulable as a hand operated device and 'the construction is simple,compact and of a size to make it suitable for hand operation.

Obviously changes may be made in the specific construction andarrangement 01' parts within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and I do not,

therefore, wish to limit myself to the particular construction shown.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:-

1. In combination with a waste pipe having a connection to the outlet ofa sink and provided with an upwardly extending vent pipe; of means forintroducing air under pressure into said waste pipe through said sinkoutlet, and means for inconnected with a source of water under pressureand an upwardly extending vent pipe in open communication with saidwaste pipe; of an air tank, an air outlet pipe for said tank to deliverair into said waste pipe through said sink outlet,

means for creating an air pressure in said tank,

means forming a detachable connection between said air pipe and sinkoutlet and sealing the joint therebetween, and means including a hoseconnection to said sink faucet for introducing water under pressure intosaid waste pipe through said sink outlet to rise within said vent pipeand seal the same against the escape therethrough of air introduced intosaid waste pipe irom said tank.

3. The combination with a waste pipe having connection to the outlet ofa sink and provided with an upwardly extending vent pipe, of an airtank, means for forcing air under pressure into said air tank, an airoutlet pipe for said tank, a valve for controlling the flow of air intosaid air outlet pipe from said tank, sealing means at the 25 lower endof said air outlet pipe to seat within the discharge opening from saidsink, and means for introducing water under pressure into said wastepipe through said air outlet pipe and said outlet and including a-hosefor connecting said air outlet pipe with a water faucet havingconnection with a source of water under pressure.

4. The combination with a waste pipe having connection to the outlet ofa sink, a sink water faucet connected with a source of water under '35pressure, and a vent pipe in open communication with said waste pipe; ofan air tank, a pump cylinder connected to said tank to deliver air underpressure thereto, an air outlet pipe secured to and opening through thelower end of said "40 tank, a valve to control the outlet of air fromsaid tank to said outlet pipe, 9. head formed of yieldable materialdetachably secured to the lower end of said air outlet pipe with saidpipe opening through said head, said air outlet pipe being "i=5 formedwith a lateral branch opening thereinto, a tubular extension for saidbranch, a coupling for connecting said extension to said branch, a checkvalve in said coupling, an altitude gauge on said extension, and a hosefor connection at one end to-the free end of said extension and at itsopposite end to said water faucet, whereby water under pressure fromsaid faucet may be introduced into said waste pipe to rise in said ventpipe and its height therein indicated by said gauge, to seal said ventpipe against the escape of air therethrough when admitted to said wastepipe from said air tank.

CHARLES LEO McCLOSKEY. to

